Limited Tethering Ordinance Passed by Casper City Council

Casper City Council has passed and implemented an amended animal tethering ordinance for the city of Casper.

The ordinance was passed for a third time by council on Tuesday. It prohibits overnight tethering of dogs and other animals within city limits and also implements certain chain size and length restrictions and tethering area cleanliness requirements.

Casper mayor Paul Meyer says the amended municipal code does a better job deterring animal cruelty.

“When you see a dog, and there’s no grass (around him) within a 60-foot radius, and it’s got a chain big enough to pull a derrick with it – I’m sorry these laws needed to be on the books, but it needed to be on the books,” Meyer said.

According to the city’s revised municipal code, the tethered animal must be within visual range of a responsible party, and the tether itself must be five times longer than the dog’s length. The tether must also be less than 10 percent of the dog’s weight.

The code also disallows tethering during extreme weather and when the dog is sick. The dog must also be at least six months old and cannot be tethered outside for more than 10 hours each day.

Council approved and adopted the revised code unanimously during Tuesday's regular session.